EUREKA INNOVATION AWARD for new annulus repair device

The new Annulus Repair Device, developed in cooperation with the Spanish company NEOS Surgery has recently received the Eureka Innovation Award in the category Innovators of tomorrow. The complete story, titled "A better back repair kit" is available in EUREKA's Eurostars website.

The device, which is currently in its final development stages, is a textile-based system which acts as a barrier to prevent re-herniation of intervertebral disc tissue after a surgical procedure to treat a painful disc herniation. The new device, expected to be launched in 2019, aims at solving an unmet clinical need in hernia management, to improve both the patients' quality of life and the healthcare system costs.

The new spinal implant was initially developed with the funding obtained from the EUREKA Network through the Eurostars' Ar-Tex project, in collaboration with the partners NEOS Surgery, ITV Denkendorf, Calvo Izquierdo and Aitex. The last steps to launch the new product into the market are supported by European Union’s SME-Instrument in Horizon 2020.